Great Santa Cruz Island

Great Santa Cruz Island

The pink sands of the island
Great Santa Cruz Island

Location within the Philippines

Geography
Location Santa Cruz Bank, Basilan Strait
Coordinates 6°51′55″N 122°3′45″E / 6.86528°N 122.06250°E / 6.86528; 122.06250Coordinates: 6°51′55″N 122°3′45″E / 6.86528°N 122.06250°E / 6.86528; 122.06250
Archipelago Santa Cruz Islands
Adjacent bodies of water
Length 2.6 km (1.62 mi)
Width 1.5 km (0.93 mi)
Coastline 6.6 km (4.1 mi)
Administration
Region Zamboanga Peninsula
City Zamboanga City
Demographics
Population Unknown
Ethnic groups Bajau people[1]

Great Santa Cruz Island is a small inhabited island in Zamboanga City in the southern region of the Philippines that is famous for its pink coralline sand.[2] The island, located 4 kilometres (2.49 mi) south of downtown at the Santa Cruz Bank in the Basilan Strait, boasts the only pink sand beach in the Philippines. The color of the sand comes from the pulverized red organ pipe coral from eons of surf erosion mixed with the white sand.[1]

The island has lost is popularity since the 1970s and early 1980s when it was frequented by German and Italian tourists. The degradation in the peace and order situation in the area has swayed potential visitors decreasing its popularity. [3]

Conservation

The Great Santa Cruz Island together with Little Santa Cruz Island are protected areas in Region 9 of the Philippines. Jointly called the Great and Little Sta. Cruz Islands Protected Landscape & Seascape, it was declared as such on April 23, 2000 with the signing of Proclamation No. 271. The park has a total area of 1,877 hectares (4,640 acres).[4]

Recent illegal coral reef mining has destroyed most of Great Santa Cruz Island's vast coral reef population leaving the former colorful corals as dead skeletal reefs.[1][3] The city government of Zamboanga is planning to improve the island for the preservation, protection, conservation and rehabilitation of the island's ecosystem. The plan also involves developing the island for ecotourism. The improvement would include rehabilitating the present structures on the island. New infrastructures that need to be constructed would be low in profile using materials indigenous to the area, in hope of lessening its impact to the environment. The development plan is expected to be completed in 3 to 5 years time.[5]

Getting to the island

A trip to the island is booked inside Paseo del Mar.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Pink Sand Beach". Zamboanga.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-12.
  2. ↑ "Islands of Zamboanga City - Philippines". Zamboanga.com.
  3. 1 2 "Zamboanga City: the Great and Little Santa Cruz Islands". En Route by Ironwolf. Retrieved on 2012-04-12.
  4. ↑ "Protected Areas of Region 9". Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau. Retrieved on 2012-04-08.
  5. ↑ Covarrubias, Sheila. "City envisions Sta. Cruz"les as ‘island-ecosystem’". Zamboanga, Asia's Latin City. Retrieved on 2012-04-09.
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